CENTRAL NEW YORK – Winners of five of its past six games, the Fayetteville-Manlius boys basketball team faced another challenging week that was to peak last Friday when the reigning sectional Class AA champions from Liverpool paid a visit.
Yet it was the tail end of a stretch of three games in four nights that did not start out well for the Hornets as it went to Baldwinsville last Tuesday and took a 39-36 loss to the Bees.
Under first-year head coach Patrick Beilein, B’ville has developed a defensive identity that was evident when it held F-M to just four points in the first quarter.
Even though the Hornets recovered to lead 26-23 through three periods, it saw the Bees fight its way back in front late thanks to plenty of clutch stops.
Trevor Roe had 20 points, half his total from a Jan. 13 win over Corcoran. Chris Cleary added nine points, but just two other players, Tyler Hutcheson and Chris Shanuhyia, had field goals, contrasting the Bees having seven scorers.
A night later, at Utica Proctor, F-M again found itself in a tight battle, but was able to push past the Raiders 55-50.
Neither side gained much of an advantage most of the way, short runs exchanged until the fourth quarter. There, F-M managed to break out of a 39-39 tie with an offense that, for once, didn’t depend entirely on Roe.
Dan Stark stepped up the most, his 17 points (including three 3-pointers) complementing Roe’s 19 points as Cleary finished with eight points.
Something similar – or more – would be needed to stop Liverpool and turn around a 66-46 loss back in December, even though the Warriors did not have star junior forward Andreo Ash in the lineup.
But even though it was short-handed, Liverpool, 57-48, leading from the first quarter onward as its defense shut down Roe in the first half, holding him to just two points.
Trailing 33-22 early in the third quarter, F-M used a 7-0 run to get back in the game, and then continued the pursuit, twice pulling within three (43-40) and (50-47) in the final period.
Yet as Roe got 13 second-half points and Hutcheson added 13 points, the Warriors kept getting the baskets it needed to stay in front thanks to Jah’Deuir Reese, who had 17 points, along with Jeff Manuel, who replaced Ash in the starting lineup and got 12 points to match teammate Bruce Wingate.
Back on Wednesday, East Syracuse Minoa continued its up-and-down season when it went to Cortland and rode a quick start and great defense to a 50-40 win over the Purple Tigers.
Hot shooting had the Spartans up 17-8 through one quarter, and it spent the rest of the game protecting that margin, stifling Cortland while seeing Cole Thomas (14 points), A.J. Graham (11 points) and Tyler Quarry (10 points) all reach double figures, Austin Betts adding eight points.
Then ESM handled PSLA-Fowler 62-47 on Friday, taking the lead in the second quarter and not letting go thanks to another well-balanced attack.
Thomas, with 15 points, was closely followed by Graham and Tristan Henderson with 12 points apiece and Anthony Bryant earning 10 points. That helped overcome the Falcons’ Spencer Wellington and Jayden Wilhite each picking up 16 points.
Jamesville-DeWitt lost that same night to Auburn, 54-48. It went back and forth throughout the first half before a pivotal third quarter where the Maroons limited the Red Rams to six points and went out in front.
Try as it could, J-D could not answer it, Anthony Stickle getting 13 points and Trent Hughes 10 points as Eamon Giblin, A.J. Sumida and Ian Delpha had six points apiece. DeSean Strachan (15 points) paced Auburn.
Those struggles continued Saturday when J-D lost to Central Square 53-47, a game where the Rams led 35-33 going to the fourth quarter, only to see the Redhawks race out in front.
Trevor Boyce led Central Square with 25 points and Aaron Bergquist added 13 points, topping the 22 points put up by Stickle as Delpha got nine ponts. J-D fell to 5-7 overall.
